Monday Night Football game 'temporarily suspended' after player collapses on field

A Monday Night Football matchup between two of the top teams in the National Football League is on hold after a player for the Buffalo Bills collapsed after making a tackle.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle early in his team’s matchup with the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.

Video replays showed Hamlin make a hard tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins with about 6:30 left in the game’s first quarter at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Hamlin was seen getting back to his feet after making the tackle and then almost immediately collapsing backward with the full force of his body coming down onto the turf.

An ambulance at the stadium immediately and hurriedly rushed to Hamlin while his teammates and opponents circled around him.

At one point, according to the game’s broadcast, paramedics administered CPR on the player and provided him with oxygen. Joe Buck, the game’s play-by-play announcer, described the CPR as taking place for “many minutes.”

He was eventually loaded into the ambulance and driven to an area hospital after remaining on the field for nearly ten minutes.

Players on both sidelines were visibly shaken, many in tears, as they watched their colleague be carted away. The game’s broadcast crews and analysts were equally stunned.

After the field was cleared, Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Bengal head coach Zac Taylor had a prolonged discussion with the game’s officiating crew.

After several minutes, both teams returned to their respective locker rooms. The game’s officiating crews said the game was temporarily suspended, while the game’s broadcast team said each team would have five minutes to regroup before returning to the field.

Both coaches were seen meeting with officials for a second time in the stadium tunnel outside the Bills locker room.

At this time, it’s unclear if the game will go on as planned. Buck said the decision to continue the game will ultimately come down to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Hamlin’s condition is currently unclear.

Hamlin is a second-year pro with Buffalo after being selected in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. He has played in every game of the 2022 season, including 13 starts for Buffalo, according to NFL.com.

Check back for details on this developing story.